With a description like that, how could I resist picking up
this book?

There’s plenty of food for thought in Dan Buettner’s new
book, The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World’s Happiest People
(2017, National Geographic). Buettner, the author of several best-sellers about
the “Blue Zones”—five places in the world where people live the longest,
healthiest lives—focuses this book on what makes people live happier,
not just longer. He introduces readers to some of the happiest people in the
happiest cities in the world, shares the research-based “Three P’s of
Happiness” (pleasure, purpose, and pride), and plenty of strategies and
suggestions for creating healthier and happier habits for a greater sense of
lasting well-being.

I especially liked the recognition that there are multiple factors that boost happiness. I think everyone is different in what makes them
truly happy, and it’s reassuring to think that if one area of your life isn’t
bringing satisfaction, other areas can help to make up for it.

Other takeaways:

1. We should set up our lives to make it easier to feel
happy—no willpower involved. We have finite amounts of willpower, and even
something as seemingly no-brainer as doing something to make yourself happy
shouldn’t rely on willpower:

“What does lead to greater happiness is making changes to
your surroundings—to your home, workplace, community, and ultimately your
nation. The more you design your home to favor good habits, the better your
family will feel simply by living in it. The more friends you make at work the
more you’ll look forward to getting the job done. The more your community
nudges you out from behind the steering wheel and onto your feet, the better
you’ll feel. The more trust you put in your government, the more secure you’ll
feel. The challenge is to reshape your life so that you’re constantly being
nudged into well-being.”

2. How many moments of happiness we should have to offset
negative experiences and feelings:

“Moments of joy, serenity, or inspiration can be easily
quashed by worries, doubts, and demands. As a result of their urgency, negative
emotions such as fear or anxiety packed a bigger punch than positive ones such
as amusement or awe. So people who want to experience an upward spiral of
positive experiences could start by organizing their days to include at least
three ‘heartfelt’ positive feelings for every ‘heart-wrenching’ negative one.
That appears to be the difference between people who are flourishing and those
who aren’t, [Barbara] Fredrickson said.”

3. Seeking happiness doesn’t just benefit us—it helps
others, too. People who experience more happiness are more resilient when
setbacks occur. And happiness ripples through social circles, so that if you
become happier, you will likely help those who know and love you become happier
also.

4. Happiness boosters, if done too often, can become routine
and fail to provide the positive feelings we seek. Learn which happiness
boosters to try and how often, and keep varying them.

There are plenty of suggestions throughout the book of
practical (though not always easy) steps to take in order to boost happiness.
Towards the end, you’ll find the “Happiness Power Nine,” which includes such
things as sleeping 7.5 hours+ a night, engaging with the world by getting out
of your house and participating in a club or team, volunteering, living in a community
that supports well-being, and looking forward by setting goals and monitoring
your progress.

If you’re interested in creating a happier life—one of true
well-being, not just superficial pleasure—The Blue Zones of Happiness is
a worthwhile read.

Please share your happiness habits in the comments below!

For more information:

Take the Happiness Test to see how you rate on the Three P’s
of Happiness

Introduction by Ted Kooser: Sit for an hour in any
national airport and you’ll see how each of us differs from others in a million
ways, and of course that includes not only our physical appearances but our
perceptions and opinions. Here’s a poem by Ada Limón, who lives in Kentucky,
about difference and the difficulty of resolution.

Despite the hoopla surrounding the holiday season, December
is a great time to develop the habit of reflection. To reflect is to
think deeply or carefully—a practice especially useful as we wrap up an old
year and approach a new one.

But reflection is more easily discussed than practiced. The
culture in the U.S. is not conducive to reflective thought. Instead, it’s
devoted to making us too busy or too distracted by information overload to
pause for reflection. (I don’t think it’s just me—but correct me if I’m wrong.)

In addition, reflection is sometimes uncomfortable. It can
reveal to us areas of conflict, deep desires that have gone unmet, ways we fall
short, things we’re afraid of. I guarantee that if we have a few minutes of
thinking time, whatever problem we’re facing will pop up and demand attention.

Even though it can be uncomfortable, if we use our
reflection time wisely we may be able to make some progress solving those
issues that come to mind, rather than pushing them aside. We should be careful,
however, that we don’t turn our reflection time into a way to beat ourselves up
for not being and doing enough.

Reflection doesn’t always have to be about problem solving,
of course. It can—and should—also be a time simply to think about what’s
happening in our lives, what we’re grateful for, that great book we read, or
some new thing we recently learned. Reflection gives us the opportunity to pay
attention to our lives, rather than just living them.

Taking the time to reflect fosters growth, insight, and wisdom. We make connections between seemingly unrelated things, solve problems, and see new ways of approaching challenges. When we’re especially busy—like while we’re prepping for the holidays—it’s even more important to take time for reflection.

I’ve gotten out of the habit of making time to think, so I’m
going to take my own advice and start making reflection a regular habit. If you
want to join me, here are some simple tips that should help:

Schedule time for reflection.It doesn’t have to be a long period of time, but it should be regular.
Say every Sunday night from 8 to 8:30, for example.

Make space for reflection.A comfortable chair in quiet area is ideal. Or, if the weather permits,
take a walk and let your thoughts wander with you.

Keep a notebook or journal handy.If you’re like me, you’ll likely have something to jot down.

What should we think about? Anything we want!
We can let our thoughts drift, or we can make note of a question we want to
ponder. We may want to think through a particular challenge, reflect on an
experience, or some new thing we learned.

(One way to jump start your reflections is to
use prompt questions. One of my favorite end-of-the-year tools can be found in this post on Sandra Pawula’s blog, Always Well Within.)

Do you have any tips for establishing a habit of reflection? Please share in the comments!

Yesterday was the last day of Positively Present’s 30-Day
Gratitude Challenge. I’ve done this challenge four times now, and every year I
learn something new about gratitude.

The point of the challenge, for me, is to become more aware
of the large and small things I’m grateful for. So many times they get lost in
the shuffle of daily living. I’m ashamed to say that I take many things for
granted. (I also loved reading other people’s #Gratitude30 entries. We’re all
so different, yet somehow the same!)

Here are a few of my favorite 2017 prompts (entries have
been slightly edited to remove Instagram-ese):

Day 1 (Beauty): I didn’t have to go far to find today’s
prompt… Just out my back door. Thanks to my husband, I have the backyard I’ve
always wanted. I’m grateful for his efforts, and for the beautiful flowers that
bloom nearly year-round in Florida.

Day 9 (Feelings): I used to be afraid that my feelings
would overwhelm me. Then I started taking yoga classes and learning about
meditation. I learned I could watch my feelings and thoughts, and that as long
as I didn’t cling to them or push them aside they would simply…flow (like the
ripples in this photo). Sometimes I write out my feelings, both to figure out
what they are, and to help with the flow process. I’m grateful for the peace of
knowing this, too, shall pass.

Day 14 (Challenges): Some of the best rewards in life
come with a heaping helping of challenge. Like this guy here. Learning how to
ride and care for a horse as an adult has been physically, mentally, and
financially challenging, but worth every minute. I’m grateful for what I’ve
learned from him and from all the horse people I’ve met along the way.

Day 17 (Memories): These photos were taken in New Orleans
back in 2010, on a trip with Laure Ferlita, and they remind me of “les bon
temps” we shared exploring that fascinating city. Oh, how I would love to go
back to New Orleans. The food, the music, the people, the architecture…and did
I mention the food?

Day 30 (Growth): 2017 has been a challenging year in many
ways, and it forced me to grow, even when I’d have preferred to stay in my
comfort zone. I hate to admit it (and this is not an invitation to the universe
to send me adversity), but I’m grateful for the growth from those challenges.
And I intend to keep growing like this little flower, blooming in a crevice
between rocks.